Muslim students' families to sue in school bus incident

The families of 14 Muslim middle school students removed from a school bus in October have notified the Duval County School Board they intend to sue, alleging religious discrimination.

In a letter to the School Board last week, lawyers for the families and the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the Fort Caroline Middle School students were discriminated against because of their religious beliefs and their race.

"The bus driver was hostile, intimidating and made religious slurs," says the intent-to-sue letter filed at City Hall by attorney Omar Mohammedi of New York. It was supplemented with sworn statements from the students.

Florida law requires six months notice before suing a public agency. City Hall attorneys represent the school system in such actions.

Superintendent John Fryer said Monday the school system and First Student bus company investigated the incident, but he wouldn't discuss the results.

"Now it's up [to] the lawyers," he said.

The 12- to 14-year-old students, recent emigrants from the Middle East and Central Asia, were removed from the First Student bus Oct. 29 by a driver who said they were insubordinate and verbally abusive. The case received national attention after the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported they had to walk 5 miles home.

"The bus driver exposed these children to dangerous, hazardous, improper and unsafe conditions," Mohammedi said. His letter said the families also plan to sue First Student.

He said the incident was compounded two days later when another First Student driver refused to pick up the students at their bus stop at Atlantic Boulevard and Caravan Trail. The bus company said the students weren't complying with a change in bus stop locations made because of safety reasons, but Mohammedi said the drivers sought to punish his clients "because of their religion, national origin and race."

Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida, said he is "dismayed" school and bus company officials haven't apologized for the incidents.

"These students' rights were violated," Bedier said. "We and the parents gave plenty of opportunity for the school district and the bus company to do an investigation, and they really haven't been forthcoming with their findings."

The incidents prompted a civil rights investigation by the Florida Attorney General's Office. A spokeswoman there didn't return a phone call about the status of that probe.

Bedier said a complaint also has been filed recently with the U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office, which is investigating.